New wave: Why a wildly curved apartment tower planned for the Gold Coast is making design headlines

There’s something familiar about the organic, curvilinear form of 272 Hedges Avenue, a new waterfront apartment tower coming to Mermaid Beach on the Gold Coast.

While there’s a cookie-cutter predictability to the sharp lines and straight edges of southern Broadbeach, 272 Hedges Avenue’s fluid appearance recalls the work of one of architecture’s greats.

Zaha Hadid was known as “the Queen of curve” for her revolutionary approach to architectural geometry. The trailblazing Iraqi-British architect, who died in 2016 at age 65, once said of her style: “The idea is not to have any 90-degree angles”.

The building’s fluid appearance recalls the work of one of architecture’s greats, Zaha Hadid. Photo: Kevork Djansezian

It is a lesson Rafael Contreras has not forgotten. The Peruvian architect was part of a small team working with the Pritzker Prize winner and Zaha Hadid Architects principal Patrik Schumacher in the firm’s London office.

“She had an extraordinary eye for design and always encouraged us to innovate and to create something new in every single project,” Contreras says.

Two years ago, Contreras started his own architecture and design practice, Contreras Earl, with Australian architect Monica Earl.

The apartments have been designed around the concept of luxury living. Photo: Artist Impression

The fledgling firm was appointed to design the two-storey pedestal base and communal areas for 272 Hedges Avenue.

Earl says the brief was to create an amazing spatial experience, giving a pedestrian scale to the tower and integrating the design into its surroundings.

Sunland Group managing director Sahba Abedian says there is a healthy appetite for design-driven, luxury homes on the Gold Coast.

“Within the context of its urban surrounds, 272 Hedges Avenue presents both unparalleled design and location amenities, reflecting the high standards of lifestyle, quality and craftsmanship sought by the owner-occupier market,” Abedian says.

Generous balconies and full-height windows frame stunning views north to Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise, south to Burleigh and Coolangatta, and west to the hinterlands.

The building marks a transition between the glamorous low-rise Mermaid Beach neighbourhood and high-rise Broadbeach. Photo: Artist Impression